page_title: Accessibility of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Accessibility of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Ramp from the handicapped parking spaces on South Astor Street along the Poughkeepsie-bound platform of Irvington Metro-North station on the Metro-North Hudson Line in Irvington, New York. The ramp reaches the platform behind a salt storage shed. North Astor Street (north of East Main Street) can be seen in the background off to the right.
context_page_description: Physical accessibility on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is incomplete. Although accessibility on all buses is provided in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, much of the MTA's rail system, including its rapid transit and commuter rail services, were built before wheelchair access was a requirement under the ADA. Consequently, most stations were not designed to be accessible to people with disabilities.
  A state law, the New York Human Rights Law, prevents discrimination on the basis of disability. Since 1990, elevators have been built in newly constructed stations to comply with the ADA, with most grade-level stations requiring little modification to meet ADA standards. In addition, the MTA identified 100 "key stations", high-traffic and/or geographically important stations, which must conform to the ADA when they are extensively renovated. One of the key tenets of the Fast Forward Plan to rescue the subway system released in 2018 is to drastically increase the number of ADA-accessible subway stations, adding accessible facilities to 70 stations by 2024.
context_section_description: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has been gradually adding disabled access to its key stations since the 1980s, though large portions of the MTA's transit system are still inaccessible. According to the MTA:
  In improving services to individuals with disabilities, the MTA identified stations and facilities where compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) would benefit the most people, analyzing such factors as high ridership, transfer points, and service to major areas of activity. These stations were given priority in our station-renovation program. We are continuing to expand accessibility features to more and more locations.
  According to the MTA, fully accessible stations have:
  elevators or ramps
  handrails on ramps and stairs
  large-print and tactile-Braille signs
  audio and visual information systems, including Help Points or Public Address Customer Information Screens
  accessible station booth windows with sills located no more than 36 inches (91 cm) above the ground
  accessible MetroCard Vending Machines
  accessible service entry gates
  platform-edge warning strips
  platform gap modifications or bridge plates to reduce or eliminate the gap between trains and platforms where it is greater than 2 inches (5.1 cm) vertically or 4 inches (10 cm) horizontally
  telephones at an accessible height with volume control, and text telephones (TTYs)
  accessible restrooms at stations with restrooms, if a 24-hour public toilet is in operation
  Note: not all station buildings have restrooms.
  Major bus stops are also required to have bus stop announcements under the ADA. The MTA is required to maintain these components under the ADA law; for instance, buses with malfunctioning lifts will be taken out of service.
  The MTA created the New York City Transit ADA Compliance Coordination Committee (CCC) in June 1992. The committee works to coordinate the MTA's accessibility plan, as well as reaches out to disabled MTA riders. The MTA also provides training to disabled riders, the families of disabled riders, and mobility specialists. Between 1995 and 2019, it has trained 775 passengers.
caption: Accessible ramp leading to the northbound platform at the Irvington Metro-North station
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